Free Will
by Rebecca Hb
Summary: The journal of a viral from S2 through S4.


**Free Will**

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**Chester's Blog** - Fifth second of the seventh cycle of the fifty-fourth minute

Good second's work. Fixed up the latest set of burned CPUs and found enough time to repair Toque's zipboard.

Boss thinks he can get a contract to do CPU-repair for the next several minutes.

--

** Chester's Blog** - Fourth second of the ninth cycle of the fifty-fourth minute

Haven't entered anything lately. Influence of G-Prime has been spreading a bit too close and the Boss wants us to move the shop. Lots of work.

--

** Chester's Blog** - Sixth second of the ninth cycle of the fifty-fourth minute

Shop's been moved. Not sure what good it will do.

Too many virals been walking the streets lately. This may be level 29, but they don't belong here anymore than they do on Baudway.

--

**Chester's Blog** - First second of the tenth cycle of the fifty-fourth minute

I have been infected.

I, Chester, the armored-vehicle repair specialist of Jeff's Repairshop, have been infected.

User Above, protect me. I don't want to be deleted.

I'm navy blue now. My eyes are an eerie parody of Lord Megabyte's green eyes. My icon also reveals the infection, and is now bright green.

User!

He is not L

He is. I cannot even deny his ownership in my blog.

--

**Chester's Blog** - Third second of the tenth cycle of the fifty-fourth minute

I was allowed into the ABC hanger

They are magnificient machines, combining firepower above and beyond what a CPU has with the room to carry troops. I have been assigned to one of the teams that keep them in good condition.

Job, NHX-982, is my superior. He showed me the innards of an ABC they were building and told me to make myself familiar with the components.

The components are all blocky and easy to fit together, like those used in a CPU. Lor He does not expect us to replace delicate parts with our binome flippers.

That is a good thing.

I do not believe I am expected to repair zipboards, either.

--

**Chester's Blog** - Fourth second of the tenth cycle of the fifty-fourth minute

The infection is... disturbing.

I am able to examine it now. Before, I was not able to see that experience as what it was.

A choice.

A split-nano choice.

Freedom or safety.

SAFETY or freedom.

And I hesitated. So I was lost. I chose safety and I was made his.

--

**Chester's Blog** - Second second of the first cycle of the fifty-fifth minute

The ABC pilots are hearing rumours of disappearances in Level 31.

This is not a terribly new thing. This is Level 31 they're talking about, after all.

I don't think most of them have ever been close enough to Level 31 for any length of time to understand that something always happens in Level 31.

--

**Chester's Blog** - Fourth second of the first cycle of the fifty-fifth minute

There is a giant portal to the Web taking over the skies of Mainframe.

Lord

He has commanded our team to see that all the ABCs are in top condition.

When Job told us this, I hoped that Lor He would notice the work we did and praise us.

Later, when I was hands deep in an ABC, I cried. I had hoped for his praise as if it was the greatest reward I could ever receive.

And it is.

--

** Chester's Blog** - Fifth second of the first cycle of the fifty-fifth minute

The ABCs are in full repair.

Lord Mega He was pleased.

Or so Job tells us.

But his pleasure in our accomplishment drives me to do greater things, even though it comes through my superior. Perhaps I shall get to speak to him face-to-face.

User

He infected me! Ensl

I cannot view it as sla

I cannot write it as slav

The infection won't let me.

--

** Chester's Blog** - Sixth second of the first cycle of the fifty-fifth minute

The portal has been closed.

The Guardian, Bob, has been cast into the Web.

Lord Megabyte has achieved complete control of the skies of Mainframe.

Unfortunately, this has damaged many of the ABCs. I must return to work.

--

** Chester's Blog** - Eighth second of the first cycle of the fifty-fifth minute

Young Enzo Matrix has taken up the duty of Guardian. He and the game sprite are giving hope to the uninfected people of Mainframe.

Lord Megabyte is ill-pleased. Those who see him face-to-face walk softly. We just do our jobs and hope he doesn't come down to the ABC hangers.

--

** Chester's Blog** - Fourth second of the second cycle of the fifty-fifth minute

Enzo erected a firewall around G-Prime.

It is very pretty and I watched one of our newer recruits throw himself at it and delete himself.

Lord Megabyte has since modified our routines so that we cannot do that.

--

** Chester's Blog **- Sixth second of the second cycle of the fifty-fifth minute

Low-density pilots.

Lord Megabyte used Hexadecimal to power the energy cannon and open a hole in the firewall. Our pilots took the ABCs through.

The uninfected were waiting.

They blew our ABCs out of the skies and when the pilots tried to return to the sector, that vile Chaos Virus closed the hole.

We have been set to building more ABCs. Far more than were destroyed. There won't be time to add entries for a while.

--

** Chester's Blog** - Third second of the fourth cycle of the fifty-fifth minute

Well.

Lord Megabyte has conquered the city. He has control of the Principal Office.

There are still uninfected who resist.

I am still toiling with the team to repair ABCs. Many of them have been damaged in the war.

I am now the one in charge of the team. Job was deleted in one of the fire fights while repairing a downed ABC.

The ABC managed to limp away, though. Lord Megabyte was well-pleased and had Job's designation marked so that it will always be in use by a binome.

--

** Chester's Blog** - Fifth second of the fourth cycle of the fifty-fifth minute

Rebel scum.

Another ABC is destroyed.

We have to build another one from scratch.

--

** Chester's Blog** - Fourth second of the ninth cycle of the fifty-fifth minute

Things changed too quickly.

I did not catch what all happened.

But- Lord Megabyte is not in Mainframe anymore.

The damaged city cannot support itself, though. It is falling into the energy sea.

User, You have held me safe throughout my infection. Can You save me now?

--

** Chester's Blog** - Fifth second of the ninth cycle of the fifty-fifth minute

I

am

free.

--

**Chester's Blog** - Sixth second of the ninth cycle of the fifty-fifth minute

The User intervened. He rebooted our system.

All of us who were infected were cleansed.

Those who had been deleted restarted. Job is amazed.

We have been saved.

--

**Chester's Blog** - Eighth second of the ninth cycle of the fifty-fifth minute

I found the old shop.

It looks... different to me now.

Harder to work in. After all the work with ABCs, I'm not sure if I can handle going back to zipboards and CPUs.

User Above.

I wish I was infected again.

--

** Chester's Blog** - Third second of the tenth cycle of the fifty-fifth minute

All is not well, despite Lord Megabyte's infection being removed.

There is a super-virus out there, Daemon. She has infected the Guardians.

I saw Bob today. He does not show any signs of infection.

If he is not infected, then perhaps Daemon will seek to infect him. She will come here. Perhaps she will have need of an armored vehicle repair specialist.

User!

--

** Chester's Blog** - First second of the first cycle of the fifty-sixth minute

Daemon attacked Mainframe today.

Or so Job tells me. He has been out and about lately, hanging around Al's and such places. Remembering what it was like to be a viral with others.

If it was attacked I have not noticed. But then, I am on Level 29 and the attack supposedly took place in the skies of Mainframe. So, I could have missed it.

Oh, there's a Vidwindow.

--

** Chester's Blog** - Second second of the first cycle of the fifty-sixth minute

Well, Mainframe must have been attacked.

These CPUs are bringing in all sorts of debris for me to work with. Fairly nice stuff, good advanced weapon systems.

They don't want me to reverse-engineer any of it, but they don't think they brought me enough scraps to be reverse-engineered.

The unin

The people of Mainframe can be very foolish at times.

--

** Chester's Blog** - Fourth second of the first cycle of the fifty-sixth minute

I am so happy.

My Lady Daemon has come.

Only one thing mars the wonder of it all.

Her infection does not feel like Lord Megabyte's.

--

**Chester's Blog** - Fifth second of the first cycle of the fifty-sixth minute

Well.

Yesterday morning, I was infected by the super-virus. Yesterday afternoon, I was infected by Hexadecimal.

Effectively, I am no longer infected by anyone.

Well, there are several CPUs that need minor repairs.

--

** Chester's Blog** - Seventh second of the first cycle of the fifty-sixth minute

Job tells me there are two Bobs now.

This is very interesting and all, but what does it matter? Copies aren't a terribly new thing.

--

** Chester's Blog** - Fourth second of the second cycle of the fifty-sixth minute

Dot Matrix, the of the city and the owner of most of the businesses (and isn't being both of those illegal?), is going to marry the new Bob tomorrow.

I'll see if Toque is going. He'll trade the story for his repaired zipboard.

--

** Chester's Blog** - Sixth second of the second cycle of the fifty-sixth minute

Lord Megabyte has returned!

**The End**


End file.
